


if you’re too shy (let me know)

by jacksmannequin



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Humor, Love Confessions, M/M, crack-ish but not really ig, hyukjae is dumb but he's trying, it's heechul's fault, look this is just really cute idk, mostly bad humor but we'll let it slide, tom and jerry nation rise!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24443401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksmannequin/pseuds/jacksmannequin
Summary: “I know how romance works,” Hyukjae says, the palms of his hands flat on the table. “I’ve seen You’ve Got Mail.”Heechul opens his mouth.“Yeah, okay, forty minutes of it. While I was getting my tires changed. Point is—”or,Hyukjae really wants to confess to Jongwoon, but his friends aren’t exactly on board with that idea.
Relationships: Kim Jongwoon | Yesung/Lee Hyukjae | Eunhyuk
Comments: 12
Kudos: 78





	if you’re too shy (let me know)

“I know how romance works,” Hyukjae says, the palms of his hands flat on the table. “I’ve seen _You’ve Got Mail._ ”

Heechul opens his mouth.

“Yeah, okay, forty minutes of it. While I was getting my tires changed. Point is—”

“You’re a disaster, hyung,” Kyuhyun adds before Heechul can start spewing nonsense, and Hyukjae scoffs. “Remember when Hyoyeon asked you out last year and you thought she was asking you to help her find the bathroom on the second floor?”

Hyukjae glares at him. “Yes, but—”

“And you _brought_ her there.”

“Yeah, fine, but—”

“You are not qualified to confess to Jongwoon,” Heechul concludes, looking at him as if he just put his child in their place after finding out they stole cookies from the kitchen. “I don’t even want to begin thinking about how you were planning to do that.”

Hyukjae glares at his empty glass. “I was just going to tell him.”

“What exactly were you going to tell him?” Donghae joins in after a few seconds of calculated silence.

Honestly, Hyukjae had forgotten he was there. This whole thing just seems really overkill for the situation. Like, fine, maybe Hyukjae isn’t the most delicate person on Earth. So sue him. And yeah, maybe sometimes he’s clueless. He realized he likes his roommate and friend of years and years, though, didn’t he? That has to count for something.

It doesn’t matter if it took him six months and three mental breakdowns which made him lose his mind for half of his finals and it was a complete disaster and he almost flunked one. What matters is the result.

Heechul’s eyes narrow. “What were you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know,” Hyukjae grunts. This is deeply offensive. He hasn’t felt this offended since that time Jongwoon dared to insinuate Hyukjae forgot his birthday. He just woke up late that day, okay? “ _Hey. I like you._ Something like that. Short and easy.”

Kyuhyun leans back in his chair. Hyukjae suspiciously notices all the coffee disappeared from the table. He kind of needed that to face Jongwoon, but _fine._ He’ll have to improvise with what he has.

“I’ll just have to believe you won’t follow it up with something like, _I want you to pound me like British currency_?”

Donghae bumps his shoulder against Heechul so vehemently they almost end up on the floor together.

“What?” Heechul barks at him, pushing him to the opposite side.

“Not even Hyukjae would stoop that low,” Donghae says, holding on to the table for dear life. “Like, that was borderline psychotic.”

Heechul flips him off. “Got a problem with it?”

“Many of them, actually,” Donghae fires back.

He inhales, probably ready to go through the list of everything Heechul has ever done wrong in his life. Kyuhyun plants his hand across Donghae’s mouth and ignores his curses.

“Hyung,” he says, looking directly into Hyukjae’s eyes. It’s quite jarring, actually. Kyuhyun has a very peculiar way of staring at people’s souls. Hyukjae stares back, because you’re never going to catch him slipping. “Give me the punchline you were going to use.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

Kyuhyun keeps staring at him.

Hyukjae stares back.

“Can I have your picture so I can show Santa what I want for Christmas?”

“That’s disgusting.” Kyuhyun raises both eyebrows at the same time. Somehow. Heechul scoffs in the background. “Don’t even try saying that.”

“Actually, you know what—” Donghae starts to say, but stops when Heechul glares at him so viciously you’d think he killed a bird with his car. “Sorry.”

“What?” Hyukjae turns around to face Donghae. “It wasn’t that bad, right? I googled it! It was the top-rated line on some website!”

“What was the website’s name?” Heechul’s nostrils flare up. It’s a spectacle, quite honestly. Hyukjae would have taken a picture of it under different circumstances. “cheesypickuplines.org?”

Hyukjae blinks at Heechul’s outraged expression. “Actually, now that I think about it…”

“Hyung!” Kyuhyun exclaims, kicking his leg under the table. Ouch. Hyukjae had slammed into the door of his room in that exact same spot not even two days ago. It _hurts._ “See? You’re terrible. He’s gonna run out of here screaming.”

“I mean,” Donghae attempts again, and Heechul shuts him up with another glare.

“This won’t do,” he says, now looking weirdly contrived. Seriously, why is everyone being so annoying about this? It’s just Jongwoon. The same person who put Cheetos up his nose once. Hyukjae sniffs. That was cute. “We need something else.”

“Well, do it quickly,” Hyukjae says, as emotionless as he is sarcastic. Quite frankly, he didn’t ask for this. Maybe he’s a bit—just a bit—dumb when it comes to romance, but he’s not a child, all right. “Jongwoon will be here any minute now.”

“Jongwoon what and where and when?” Kyuhyun screeches, effectively waking up the whole room. An annoyed student sends them a dirty glare. Hyukjae would feel bad for him, really, but why would you study at a coffee shop in the late afternoon? Go home already. Late night study sessions are library business. “You were gonna tell him now?”

Hyukjae shrugs. “Yes?”

“Here?” Kyuhyun screeches again. Hyukjae can smell the owner starting to get mad from fifteen steps away. “Why?”

“Don’t yell.” Hyukjae’s eyes narrow, and his first thought is _what now._ “Because I had it planned out, but then you guys decided to meddle.”

“Your plan sucked.” Kyuhyun slumps back down on his chair. Donghae coughs. “What?”

“Have you stopped for a second to think that maybe Jongwoon wouldn’t mind?” Kyuhyun raises an eyebrow. Hyukjae smirks automatically. Finally, someone is on his side. He knew he could trust his beloved best friend— “Seeing as they’re both completely nuts and all that.”

“Yah!” Hyukjae exclaims, instantly forgetting any nice thought he might have had about this traitor in front of him. _Nuts?_ How dare he—

“Shut up, Hyukjae,” Heechul cuts his unborn rant off before it can even start. “Donghae isn’t completely wrong.”

“Yes, he is,” Kyuhyun screeches for the third time. “Have you even asked him out on a date? What did you tell him? He probably thinks you’re luring him here with coffee to copy his homework.”

“Okay, first of all, I haven’t copied his homework since high school,” Hyukjae says, because that was more or less three years ago, and they didn’t even choose the same major, so what would Jongwoon know about his homework, and because Kyuhyun is the devil. Put quite simply. “Second of all, if I called this a date, I would’ve ruined the surprise.”

“What surprise,” Heechul grunts in the background. “He wouldn’t have believed you anyway.”

Hyukjae raises an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

“You do kinda tease him about it, to be fair,” Donghae adds, cautious, as if he’s still scared Hyukjae will jump him. And he’s right to be scared. Jumping Donghae looks extremely tempting at the moment. “To an extent.”

“I literally have no idea what you idiots are yapping about.”

“Do you or do you not tell him you love him every single time he does anything remotely nice for you?” Heechul clears his throat, then stares right into Hyukjae’s eyes. “Then his face goes red, you laugh to yourself and say he’s _oh so adorable,_ and he’s forced to sweat out his gay panic away from you with the excuse he has to go to the bathroom.”

Hyukjae pauses. Donghae’s mouth is a thin line of despair.

“Is that why he’s been peeing so much?”

“Oh my God,” Kyuhyun exhales, thumping his head against the table. Heechul shakes his head. Donghae pats Kyuhyun’s back. “I can’t believe this is what I have to deal with.”

“How was I supposed to know?” Hyukjae blurts, the panic starting to settle in. Are they fucking with him? Is that what’s going on? “I’ve always done it. Even before my awakening.”

Donghae lets out a heavy sigh. “And you don’t see anything wrong with that?”

“No?” Hyukjae tries.

“Sometimes I’m ashamed of calling you my best friend,” is Donghae’s diplomatic response.

“I—”

“And, and you’re always teasing him about all sorts of things,” Kyuhyun continues with even more determination, as if there’s anything in it for him at all. “Like, how he color codes his notes. Why would you tease him about that? He’s a visual learner.”

Hyukjae’s gaze narrows. “Are you in love with him or something?”

“No!”

If exasperation had a face, it would be Kyuhyun’s. Not that Hyukjae believes it’s warranted.

“All right, then what?”

“He’s being a bit too dramatic with it, but I share the sentiment,” Heechul chimes in, as if he’s the poster child of reason and tact. No one has forgotten about the toothpaste incident—least of all Hyukjae. Or Yunho, for that matter. It left some deep scars. “If I was him, I’d think you were pulling a prank on me.”

“Then what was I supposed to do?” Hyukjae groans, his lips automatically forming a slight pout. “Telling him would make me look like I was joking, not telling him will make me look like I’m joking. Do I have to buy him flowers?”

“Lord, no—”

“He’s allergic, Kyuhyun, I know,” Hyukjae cuts him off before another rant can come up. “I just want to tell him I want to squish his cheeks and call him a baby.”

“Disgusting,” Donghae mutters. Hyukjae kicks his leg under the table. Donghae yelps. Not a single one of them comments on it. “Ass. Go on.”

“And, like, hug him in my sleep or something.”

“That’s surprisingly romantic for your standards, Mr. I’ve Seen You’ve Got Mail,” Heechul comments, the ever-present smirk still on his face. “I’m interested.”

“While he was getting his tires changed,” Kyuhyun adds.

“Point is,” Donghae speaks up again, one hand held up in the air for reasons beyond Hyukjae’s comprehension. “He’s trying.”

Hyukjae nods fervently. “I am!”

Silence falls between them for a moment. No one says anything for a short while—it’s just Kyuhyun and Heechul observing Hyukjae with frowns on their faces, and Donghae staring at something unidentified in the distance. Of course, his help lasted a grand total of four seconds. No surprises there.

“Hyukjae,” he says out of the blue, automatically attracting everyone’s attraction. Hyukjae raises an eyebrow. “Continue.”

Hyukjae just looks at him. “Continue what?”

“Whatever you were saying about Jongwoon.”

“Why?” Hyukjae’s brows furrow. “Are you guys gonna make fun of me again?”

“Obviously not, who do you think I am?” Donghae flashes him a very suspicious smile that looks incredibly out of place on his face. “I just want to make sure you don’t say anything too stupid to his face when he gets here.”

“You were fine with my pick-up line ten minutes ago.”

Donghae’s eyes widen in Kyuhyun’s direction, and it kind of looks like he sat on a needle or something. After a couple of seconds of relentless blinking, Kyuhyun nods. Hyukjae scrunches up his nose. What now?

“We just want to make sure,” Kyuhyun says.

Heechul has been uncharacteristically silent through all of this.

“I don’t trust you,” Hyukjae says.

“I mean, I want to hear it too,” Heechul adds before his silence was going to feel too out of character. “Mostly because I’m interested in your reasoning. Like, why do you like him?”

“Hyung—”

Heechul flips Kyuhyun off, but Kyuhyun just raises an eyebrow and, a look from Donghae later, knowingly quiets down.

Hyukjae glares at Heechul, Kyuhyun’s reaction already forgotten. “What does that mean?”

Heechul shrugs. “Isn’t he a bit annoying sometimes?”

“He’s not!”

“Isn’t he? Aren’t you always complaining he always leaves a mess in your room?”

“I do that to irritate him,” Hyukjae says, annoyed. “He’s not annoying. He’s perfectly fine.”

Heechul leans back in his chair. “I see.”

“What’s that condescending tone?” Hyukjae glares at him. Then his conscience stops holding his mouth back. “I’ll have you know I never found Jongwoon annoying once in my life. Well, that one time he turned off my alarm because he wanted to sleep and I missed my 8AM class was sort of routine disrupting. But it wasn’t that bad! I needed the extra sleep, anyway. I can just get notes from someone else. I would never find him annoying. He’s funny, and he’s cute, and when it’s cold outside and his nose gets all red and he acts like he doesn’t want me to hug him to warm him up but the second I don’t leave him alone at his first threat he immediately gives up and it’s adorable and the cutest thing ever and I really think he’s the best person ever, no offense to Donghae, although some offense because you’re actually annoying sometimes while Jongwoon is never annoying, like for example when you say you’re going to be somewhere at three and show up forty minutes later, but this was about Jongwoon, wasn’t it.”

Donghae blinks.

“He’s actually the best person in this whole university, and to be frank he shits on all of you morons if we’re talking about looks. Quite honestly, I’d say he’s also smarter than all of you on his best days. Or not. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say he’s always smarter than you idiots. Especially you, Kyuhyun. You’re the devil. Jongwoon is a sweet angel whom I’d never try to hurt if my life depended on it.”

Heechul clears his throat. Hyukjae ignores him.

“And, fine, maybe I tease him sometimes, but it’s just dumb fun, you know? It’s not like I bully him. I actually really love when he sings to himself when he’s studying. His voice is so him. It’s just adorable to see him flustered because of me. And, yeah, maybe at first I was doing it because I’m a dumbfuck, but it was nice to know I had some kind of effect on him, you know? Actually, in hindsight—I was probably just doing it to feel better about the fact I’m totally in love with him. That’s fine, though. I hope he likes me back. Oh, crap. What if he doesn’t?”

“I’m sure he—”

“No, no, wait,” Hyukjae starts talking again without giving Donghae the chance to complete his thought. Whatever it was. “Wait. I totally did not think this through. What if he doesn’t like me after I confess my undying love for him? I’m completely fucked. How am I supposed to live with him then?”

“Hyukjae—”

An odd noise faintly reaches Hyukjae’s ears in the middle of his panicked rant, like a chair being moved, but it doesn’t immediately register. That comes a second later.

“Ha, I knew you liked it when I sing. Do continue.”

“Of course I do, imagine thinking I don’t.” Hyukjae blinks. Literally every set of eyes present at the table blinks. Donghae chuckles to himself. Hyukjae turns around and blinks again. “Ummmm.”

Jongwoon grins at him. “So?”

Hyukjae lets out a yelp. Then he closes his mouth, opens it again, and lets out another yelp.

“Is he barking?” Heechul asks, as unbothered and calm as someone who knew all along would be. Hyukjae is going to cut his head off the second he has the chance to be alone with him. “Woof woof.”

Donghae smiles to himself in the background, though he goes mostly unnoticed.

“I’m waiting,” Jongwoon says.

“How much of that did you hear?” Hyukjae tentatively asks, quite unsure of whether he actually wants to know.

“Since Heechul called you Mr. I’ve Seen You’ve Got Mail,” Jongwoon says with a teasing smile on his face. Hyukjae freezes on the spot. He really, truly, wants to die. “I didn’t know you were into that.”

“He was getting his tires changed,” Kyuhyun adds.

“You shut up,” Hyukjae barks at him.

“He’s barking again,” Heechul says. “Woof woof.”

“I’m thinking of quite a few ways to exact my revenge,” Jongwoon says, and at this point, Hyukjae will take it. As long as he’s able to disappear and not think about the colossal amount of shit he’s said in the last twenty minutes. “For every time you teased me.”

“I’ll do it,” Hyukjae blurts, and his face is flushed, isn’t it. He knows it is. “As long as we never speak of this ever again. I’ll do your homework. I’ll learn about biology for you.”

“Isn’t he getting a bit ahead of himself?” Jongwoon asks Donghae, who shrugs. Hyukjae’s eyes frantically follow the exchange. “Who said I never want to speak of this again? We’ll talk about it extensively.”

“Oh, sweet holy mother of Jesus,” Hyukjae quietly says.

“I really have to go,” Kyuhyun perks up, scaring the living daylights out of Hyukjae. He’d forgotten he was there. Honestly, he’d forgotten about all of them. His mind is a whirlwind of Jongwoon-related emotions at the moment. “I have some assignments to work on. Donghae does too, doesn’t he? Don’t you, Donghae?”

He leaves his chair with more enthusiasm than someone who’s going away to do homework should have, and yanks Donghae up from his own chair as he does it.

“I think I’m gonna stay,” Heechul calmly says, only to get smacked on the back of his head immediately after as Donghae pushes him off his chair and Kyuhyun drags him up by his armpits. “Ouch.”

“Nope, you’re needed too, have fun, don’t do anything Yunho wouldn’t do, goodbye!” Kyuhyun exclaims, slightly on the hysterical side of his voice, and Hyukjae is left contemplating every life choice he’s ever had to make.

“Interesting,” Jongwoon says, scaring him again. So badly he almost busts a vein in his neck. “Cute.”

“I sort of have some homework to take care of too—”

“Nope,” Jongwoon says, then grabs his hand and slams it on the table along with his. It wasn’t harsh at all, but Hyukjae’s left stunned anyway. Maybe because Jongwoon’s hand is warm. He’s held his hand before, sure he has, but never after confessing his most unspeakable emotions while being unknowingly watched by the person he feels them for, so there’s that. “You’re not leaving after that.”

“I’m sorry,” Hyukjae says, although he doesn’t know what he’s apologizing for.

“For what?” Jongwoon tilts his head to the side, a faintly amused smirk animating his lips. “For being a brat? You should be.”

“Um,” Hyukjae says.

Their hands are still joined. If anything, Jongwoon’s fingers are interlocked with his now, and it’s throwing him off just a little bit.

“Did you mean all of that?”

Hyukjae swallows his anxiety. “Yeah.”

“Good.” Jongwoon props his elbow on the table and rests his chin on his open palm. Then he smiles, and Hyukjae’s heart melts a little. “I was wondering when you were going to say something.”

“I was gonna do it today,” Hyukjae mutters, a faint blush still on his cheeks. He attempts to draw his hand back, but Jongwoon tightens his hold and keeps it where it is. “Before Kyuhyun decided I wasn’t qualified to do it.”

“I can see why he would do that,” Jongwoon says. “I kinda like your cheesiness, though, so it would’ve been fine.”

Hyukjae can’t find it in himself to say anything back to that, and Jongwoon’s smile grows a little wider. Maybe fonder, if Hyukjae isn’t hallucinating.

“I’m glad I was early, actually,” Jongwoon continues, as if Hyukjae isn’t sweating his body weight all over his hand. “I don’t think you would’ve been that honest with me here.”

“Who do you think I am?” Hyukjae frowns, forgetting for a moment he’s supposed to be embarrassed. “I definitely would have been that honest with you here.”

“Right,” Jongwoon calmly says. “Just like all the times you flirted with me.”

“Well, technically I was honest. You just didn’t know I was. Don’t you think so?”

Jongwoon raises an eyebrow. Hyukjae shrinks in his chair.

“What I think is that we should get out of here and you should kiss me.”

“What,” Hyukjae squeaks.

“You heard me, Hyukjae,” Jongwoon says, and there’s not a lot of difference between the way Heechul was dragged out of the café and the way Jongwoon is dragging him out now.

It’s just way, way more emotionally charged.

“I, um,” Hyukjae eloquently says, back leaned against a wall and Jongwoon’s lips one inch away from his face. “Is this, like. Huh.”

“You’re way dumber than I gave you credit for,” Jongwoon says, exactly two seconds before their lips touch, and okay.

Hyukjae can live with being called dumb if this is what he gets in return.

* * *

“You know I love you, right?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you going to say it back?”

“Go sweat out your gay panic in the bathroom a couple of times, and maybe I’ll consider it.”

“I really don’t like you.”

“I have audio recording of you calling me smarter than all your friends.”

_“What?”_

“Bye, Hyukjae! Clean the sink while you’re at it.”

“I hate it here.”

**Author's Note:**

> the opening line is from one of the last aired episodes of superstore (cant remember which). i love that show. the second i heard dina say it my mind went hmmmm nice.
> 
> thanks for reading, i hope you enjoyed !! title is from that one the 1975 song. if you don't care to see my unrelated screaming, find me on my [writing focused account](http://twitter.com/parallelshyuk), otherwise i'm over at my [personal twt](http://twitter.com/homewithkyu) and on [curious cat](http://curiouscat.qa/parallelshyuk) ^^


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